Billing code 55877: Prostate ablationMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Percutaneous irreversible electroporation treats one or more prostate tumors with needle-delivered electrical pulses, including imaging guidance when performed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 55877 in Oregon.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 55877 covers
A urologist uses percutaneously placed electrodes to deliver electrical pulses that disrupt tumor-cell membranes in one or more prostate tumors. This irreversible electroporation approach is used for targeted treatment of prostate cancer and differs from techniques that destroy tissue by freezing or focused ultrasound. Imaging guidance is included when performed. The service is generally performed in a procedural or surgical setting.
Report one unit for the treatment of one or more tumors; document the percutaneous approach, irreversible electroporation method, treated tumor site or sites, and any imaging guidance. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 55877 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $683.31 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $654.72 |
How the 55877 rate is calculated
Each of 55877’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 55877
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work13.50
13.50 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense4.99
4.99 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.61
1.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
20.1000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$671.36
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 55877
55877 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 55877
Prostate ablation
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.08/0.83/0.09 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 55877
Prostate ablation
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
55877 without 51 · national facility
$671.36
Prostate ablation
55877-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$335.68
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
55877 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 55873Prostate cryoablation
- Choose 55877 for percutaneous irreversible electroporation; 55873 describes prostate cryoablation.
- 55880Prostate HIFU
- 55880 is for transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of malignant prostate tissue. 55877 is the percutaneous irreversible electroporation service.
- 55881Prostate ablation
- 55881 describes a transurethral prostate tissue ablation approach. Use 55877 for percutaneous irreversible electroporation.
- 55882Prostate ablation
- 55882 describes a transurethral prostate tissue ablation approach. Use 55877 for percutaneous irreversible electroporation.
55877 billing questions
Does the number of tumors change the units reported?
The descriptor covers treatment of one or more tumors, so report one unit for the session rather than a unit for each tumor. Document the treated tumor or tumors.
Can imaging guidance be billed separately?
Imaging guidance, when performed for this ablation, is included in 55877. Document the guidance used as part of the procedure.
How is 55877 different from prostate cryoablation?
55877 describes percutaneous irreversible electroporation using electrical pulses. Code 55873 describes prostate cryoablation, which uses freezing.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for 55877. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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